By IANS,
New Delhi : Despite the quickly unfolding events over the presidential poll taking the party by surprise, there was optimism in the Congress headquarters Thursday that Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party allies would be brought around.
A day after United Progressive Alliance ally and Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee named Prime Minister Manmohan Singh among three candidates as her choice for the July 19 presidential poll, a senior Congress functionary expressed confidence that she and SP boss Mulayam Singh Yadav would be persuaded to end an attitude of confrontation.
A senior Congress leader said that both leaders have a history of “correcting” their stance.
The optimism in the party is that Banerjee will ultimately see reason in having a consensus on the UPA’s presidential nominee.
“Mamata is still our ally,” said Congress media department chief Janardan Dwivedi, who had in the morning rejected the three names proposed by Banerjee and Yadav.
On Wednesday, both Banerjee and Yadav had virtually rejected the Congress candidates for the high office — Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Vice President Hamid Ansari.